To Late
by Girlintheshadow
Summary: Jaime's arrival back in Kings Landing was not as welcomed as he would have thought. Spurned by his love and his Vow broken by the King he has nothing left but to follows his father instructions and take a wife. Not only does he regret it, so does she, taken away from the people who need her and must endure and flourish or she will fall like so many others.
**Hey, guys! I have been rewatching my Game of Thrones Boxset and I got this amazing idea from Episode 1 of season 4, let me know what you think!**

Jaime watched as Qyburn retreated from the room, he actually loathed that creepy, crawly man, he may have saved his life but he didn't trust him, he wants something, like everyone else in this god forsaken capital. Looking back down to his hand he frowned, the golden hand felt weird, strange, it looked like his old hand but yet it was cold, it felt wrong. It didn't matter, all that matter was Cersei, his gaze fell back to his sister and he let it run critically over her. She had changed, she was still as beautiful as ever but she had this look that hung over her face and something that swirled in her eyes that made her seem distant and foreign to him.

'What symptoms?' he voiced called out to his sister as she crossed the room.

'Symptoms that are not your concern.' She snapped to his a she refilled her glass for the second time.

'You let him touch you?'

'You jealous? I'm surprised.' He scoffed at her as she stood from his chair. 'You never let Pycelle near you.'

It earned a huff of laughter from his sister as she sat on the plush lounger, as far away from him as possible, 'You think I'd let that old lecher put his hands on me? He smells like a dead cat.'

'I'm not sure I've ever smelled a dead cat.' He grinned across at his twin.

'Well, they smell like Pycelle.' Her lips twitched in a smirk.

Jaime's smile flattered, it reminded him of their father, even at a young age, he still remembered with such vivid detail the effect it had on him. He never smiled, occasionally his lips would tremble it some sort of attempted but never into a full smile if it did Jaime was sure his father would shatter into a million pieces. He frowned.

'You drink more than you used to.' He observed as he drew closer to her, every step he took he could smell the intoxicating scent of lavender, a smell he had been deprived of so long. It was everything that was home to him, he had fought for so long and so hard to get here and he need to rest and revive himself, he was so very tired.

'Yes. You started a brawl in the streets with Ned Stark and disappeared from the capital. My husband died in a tragic hunting accident.'

'It must have been traumatic for you.' Jaime snapped as planted himself next to his sister, he could see the gold of her skin, flawless and inviting, he wanted to run his nose and mouth all over her, savour her and rememorize every part of her, even though it had been so long, he could still remember all of her in his mind. He had imagined her, every night he was locked in that cage, it was the only thing that got him through it, all he wanted to do was familiarise himself with his lover.

'My only daughter was shipped off to Dorne. We suffered through a siege.'

'A rather short siege.' He added, raising an eyebrow.

'A rather short siege that I didn't expect to survive.' she bit out in an unattractive snarl. 'And now I'm marrying my eldest son to a wicked little bitch from Highgarden while I'm supposed to marry her brother, a renowned pillow biter.' She finished by gulping down a mouthful of Dornish red wine.

Resting his remaining real hand on hers as he inched closer so that their thighs were pressed firmly together, so closer that the heat burned between them.

'So Father disowned me today.' He spoke smoothly, nudging his nose into her hair to smell the pure lavender that radiated from her.

'He can't disown you, you're all he's got.' She muttered, taking another gulp of wine as she looked off into the distance.

'You're forgetting Tyrion.' She growled at the thought of her little brother.

'You don't really plan on staying in the Kingsguard, do you?' she pouted at him, her eyes falling to his golden hand.

'Staying in the Kingsguard means I live right here in the Red Keep with you.' He purred as he brushed his face against her hair and began to burrow into her neck, she was mere inches away from him, he could taste her skin, his heart pounded and his pant tightened.

'Not now.' Sounded out across the room as she flinched away from him towards the wine decanter again, her hand lingering on his golden hand.

'Not now? When? I've been back for weeks…Something's changed.' He choked out, his throat felt dry and his stomach felt heavy, he couldn't breathe.

'Everything's changed. You come back after all this time with no apologies and one hand and expect everything to be the same?' she half yelled at him, the green eyes he used to love so much were filled with hatred and disgust.

'What do you want me to apologize for? You think I wanted to be taken prisoner?'

'You weren't here. You left me alone, here' she laughed angrily, it twisted in him like a knife.

'Every day I was a prisoner, I plotted my escape. Every day. I murdered people so I could be here with you. Jaime seethed at her standing form.

After he had divulged every detail of his living hell to her, she had the courage to say such things to him, he did it all for her and father, that strange lust for power they had, that drove them. After all, he had sacrificed in the name of his family and for his love, he was being cast aside by the only women he ever loved, or ever will, his other half was disowning him.

'You took too long.' It was not the heartbroken whisper of woman betrayed but the strong, hard, cold voice of a Queen, an Ice Queen.

'What are you saying?'

'I'm saying you took too long.' Cersei calmly spoke her eye never leaving his.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The words echoed in his head, he replayed every moment, thinking in which moment everything went wrong, was it when he confronted Ned Stark in the streets? When he attacked Riverrun? When he pushed the Stark boy from the ledge? Or when he comforted his sweet sister that night Robert took her maidenhead. His mind felt like it was on fire, he could feel the flames behind his eyes. He could win his sister back but did he really want to, that was a question that plagued his thoughts, she was obviously disgusted by him after everything he sacrificed for her. He joined the Kingsguard for her, he soothed her after every one of her beddings with Robert, he lost a hand to try and get back to her, and she couldn't even be grateful.

After Cersei's handmaiden interrupted them, he found himself angrily pacing around the quiet back gardens, overlooking the narrow sea. If he could, he would have remarked at how beautiful it looked or how fragrant the flowers were but the rage inside him took over. He had sacrificed so much for nothing. His love for her soured inside him with every passing second, betrayal and hatred filling its place. The sun blared down at him, after the month of feeling nothing but the cold and the wet upon his skin it was a pleasant sensation to feel the heat once again, he sighed as his eyes focused on the horizon. He could just leave, board a ship and sail across the sea and never some back, he would but he couldn't, his heart still belonged to Cersei.

It had turned to darkness by the time he made it back to his chamber, he had longed to reach it and she is there, waiting for him, naked as their name day, she would fall into him and all would be forgiven, they would make love all night long, but he was greeted by his father instead. His sour expression matched his own, grave and grim. His father was posed in an armchair at the head of the table in his chambers, hands resting on a goblet of wine, the fire roaring beside him, giving a welcoming glow into the room.

'It must take getting used to, being home after so long' Tywin, quipped to his eldest son.

'Not as much as you would think' he son retorted, taking his place at the other end of the table, he eyed the pitcher of wine, it looked so tempting but he didn't trust himself to reach it, his golden hand was held to his chest, like a wounded stray dog, he didn't want to appear weak in front of his father. Instead, Tywin reached across and filled the spare goblet and pressed it to him with his long thin fingers.

'Tyrion has married the Stark girl; Cersei will marry the Tyrell. Here is the order from the King. It releases you from your Vow, all you need to do is agree and you can bring honour to this family and make sure the Lannister line lives on, powerful and unbroken. Do you agree?' Tywin boomed out, holding the scroll in his weathered hand, his eyes focused on his son's.

Jaime's hand glistened in the fires light, it made it shine, glow even, it made everything so much clearer. He could never fight properly even if he trained his left hand he would never be as good, he could never protect the King, his sister was disgusted in him, what did he really have left?

Drinking down the contents of his goblet in two long gulps he returned his father's gaze, 'I agree, I will marry a suitable bride and become future ruler of the Westerland.'

 **Please review and let me know what you think! I have the basic plot figure out all I need is your approval!**

 **Reviews are love!**


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